The first picture puzzles appeared in The Enigma only
in August 1999, and therefore the rules are not yet hard and fast. Like some
flat types, our picture puzzles were inspired by classical Italian puzzling.
This article is a first attempt to define NPL guidelines for creating and
solving picture puzzles.

Picture rebuses differ significantly from standard rebuses.
The figure, with letters, bigrams, and/or trigrams (rarely other typographical
characters) added, is the rubric, and there is no verse. The typographical
characters are “read” from left to right. If none are added to the figure, the
rebus is “silent”, and is of course more elegant. In a silent rebus, a star may
be used to focus the solver's attention on a part of the figure, though the
artist may prefer subtler ways to reveal what is important.

A good rebus must satisfy “Briga's triangle”: plausible
picture, clever reading, and meaningful solution. (Briga is a leading Italian
puzzler.) In general, the picture should represent one single scene, not a
random collection of objects. The reading should preferably be a reasonably
coherent description of what is in the picture, and heteronymic to the solution
(in the sense that word breaks should not be the same — in fact, etymological
overlap between reading and solution should be avoided.) The answer should be a
word or a meaningful phrase. It does not necessarily have to be an entry, but
it cannot be an arbitrary sequence of words that one has to labor to justify
(unlike standard rebuses, where this is not a problem, because of the context
presented by the verse.)

The picture may or may not include a clue to the solution.
If not, two enumerations are given: one for the reading, and one for the
solution. Here is an example:

1. PICTURE REBUS (*3, *3, 3 4 —> *5 2 *6)

=XEMU
(drawing by TMCAY)

Solution: Tim, Ono, fat hens —> Timon of Athens

If there are letters in the figure, they are shown without asterisks
in the first enumeration.

There are many rebus variations, including the reversed picture rebus, or picture suber. In the
deletion rebus, the letters shown are removed rather than added in constructing
the reading. In the addition rebus, the letters are inserted into words, as in
the following example:

4. ADDITION REBUS (7 4)

=FEDERICO
(drawing by T MCAY)
Solution: (B)eating ti(M)e

In a letter change rebus, the letters in the picture replace letters in the words:

5. LETTER CHANGE REBUS (3 4 4 —> 2 2 7)

=FEDERICO
(drawing by T MCAY)
Solution: bee near nest —> be in earnest

ILLUSTRATED FLATS

Most flat types can be illustrated: the picture simply
replaces the verse, and the rules about what bases are acceptable
are the usual ones. Usually there are no cue words, though in some
cases they might appear in dialog balloons, or on a poster or sign
within the illustration.

The following example was originally a normal versified
letter bank, but the concrete nature of the keywords makes it suitable
for illustration:

However a clever illustrator can find ways to illustrate
more abstract keywords, and moreover those need not be limited to nouns.

7. PHONETIC BEHEADMENT (7, *5)

=HOT
(drawing by ZEBRA BOY)
Solution: hatless Atlas

Discovering illustratable bases is more difficult than
finding versifiable bases, but most of the artistry is in conceiving and
drawing the illustration. As in the picture rebus, it is best to use a coherent
scene rather than an arbitrary collection of objects. This is similar to the
preference for a meaningful story in a flat, rather than a meaningless
juxtaposition of unrelated bits.

It is also possible to use the comic strip format:

8. LETTER BANK (enumeration withheld)

=ALICE
(drawing by RANDD)
Solution: mop, pom-pom

Finally, the illustrated acrostical enigma (invented by Dandr) has its own
rules. The letters (A, B, C...) in the illustration point to clues to words whose
beginnings are the end of words clued elsewhere in the figure (but with no labels).
For example, there may be an A on an elephant, and a B on an osteopath. Somewhere
else in the figure there may be a TOWel, and ERos. So the first part of the final
solution would be TOW and the last would be ER. Here is an example:

If there is a picture puzzle sub-editor, he or she is
responsible for matching picture puzzle bases with artists. Send bases, and any
ideas you have about illustrating them, to him or her. Of course, if you can
illustrate your own ideas, or want to work directly with an artist, you are
welcome to do so. (Still, you may want to run your idea past the sub-editor,
just to make sure the puzzle is likely to be accepted for publication.)
Conversely, if you can draw, and are willing to illustrate other people's
bases, be sure to let the picture puzzle sub-editor know!

If there is no picture puzzle sub-editor, you should work
directly with an artist. The editor will have a list of interested artists.

Technicalities:

As of now, our printing process does not deal well
with greys. Black and white figures are preferable.

Remember that most picture puzzles have to read
clearly when shrunk to two inches across in order to fit in a normal Enigma
column. Therefore, avoid tiny details, and remember that line weights also
shrink when a figure is shrunk. Of course, make sure that the clue-bearing
parts of the picture are large and clear.

You can send hard copy, or electronic files (created
on a computer, or scanned from a handmade drawing). Keep in mind that some
members download The Enigma and print it on printers with resolution up
to 600 dots per inch. On the other hand the hard-copy Enigma does not
have such fine resolution.